ACC Spotlight: Five programs that need a big June
June has become arguably the most important month in the recruiting calendar, with prospects crisscrossing the country on official visits and lining up announcement dates. Rivals national recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. looks at five ACC programs that need to capitalize in the coming weeks.
MORE JUNE PREVIEWS: SEC programs that need a big June | Big Ten programs that need a big June | Biggest storylines this weekend
CLEMSON
More than 30 recruits will trek to Clemson to kick off the official visit season this weekend, and as per usual under Dabo Swinney, it is the combination of top targets and more than a dozen already on board as CU verbal commitments. The Tigers march to the beat of their own drum on the recruiting trail and they have front-loaded visit slates in the past with the hopes of grabbing new commitments and having them shut down the process all in one motion. We wouldn’t rule it out this weekend with so much attention in Death Valley.
Among the elites expected to kick off the month of June include five-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson and fellow blue-chippers such as defensive linemen Bryce Perry-Wright, defensive backs Joey O’Brien and Blake Stewart along with offensive linemen Carter Scruggs and Cannon Pickett.
Running back Jae Lamar has the Tigers on top heading into his trip while the program looks to make up ground with other elites such as the nation’s top interior offensive line projection Darius Gray and NFL legacy Devin Fitgerald, son of legend Larry Fitzgerald.
FLORIDA STATE
As things currently stand in the ACC, the Seminoles are looking at a ceiling of No. 3 in the conference for the class of 2026 behind Clemson and Miami – two programs ahead of the Seminoles on the field but not always on the recruiting trail. On top of that, Mike Norvell‘s program is working on serious commitment list maintenance in the month ahead, as most of its top commitments will take multiple official visits to other programs in addition to returning to Tallahassee themselves.
On the flip side, Florida State is also courting plenty of talent with another logo attached to their name at this time. Several are notable in the month to come relative to proximity to Tallahassee, initial FSU fandom or in some cases both.
Cal pass rusher commitment Camron Brooks plays just over the Georgia border and has long been a top target. Oregon defensive back pledge Xavier Lherisse came up with the Seminoles as his team. Mississippi State offensive line pledge Jakobe Green is a Panhandle native just now earning the push from the program he has long felt he deserves.
Can the ‘Noles win in the flip game? Outside of that element, landing a quarterback has to be a priority and blue-chippers Landon Duckworth and Jaden O’Neal are each scheduled to make the trip.
GEORGIA TECH
There won’t be a shortage of talent traveling to downtown Atlanta in the coming weeks, many from the metro area itself, and it’s great news for a Georgia Tech program sitting with just four verbal commitments entering June. The program has just four pledges on board, a number that has to change in short order to match the momentum many feel around the program’s on-field chances heading into the fall. Only Virginia Tech (two) and Wake Forest (one) have a smaller commitment list as May comes to a close.
GT is set to bring back each verbal pledge during this stretch, but also many Peach State natives currently committed to other programs such as Bubba Frazier (Notre Dame) and Jordan Smith (Georgia). Those on the ascent among the uncommitted, including cornerback Dorian Barney, safety Lasiah Jackson, wide receiver Craig Dandridge, offensive linemen Ben Mubenga as well as Zykie Helton along with tight end Heze Kent, each hold four-stars and in-state addresses to their name as well.
Several other blue-chippers will make the trek to Atlanta before the end of next month, too, as will a potential quarterback fit in Louisiana native Cole Bergeron.
MIAMI
Recruiting success is all relative, right? If so, Miami’s push this summer is in hopes of closing the gap Clemson has created thus far in 2026 – one we can see widening sooner rather than later with what CU has on tap this weekend alone. The U has claimed each ACC recruiting crown since Mario Crisrtobal took the head gig at his alma mater and it is in striking distance once more following the commitment of No. 1 overall recruit Jackson Cantwell to headline the month of May.
June will be about hitting a certain ceiling for Miami, landing the can’t-miss talent close to home combined with national wins against bluebloods can help to close the gap with Clemson and others near the top of the national rankings.
More than a dozen blue-chippers will help The U kick off the June slate this weekend, from top two-way lineman Lamar Brown to can’t-miss five-star and the No. 1 recruit in South Florida in Derrek Cooper. Among the flip targets Miami will soon host, SEC wide receiver pledges Tristen Keys (LSU) and Vance Spafford (Georgia) are the most fascinating, but prospects currently committed to Texas, Alabama, Auburn and Michigan will also soon see Coral Gables in person.
RELATED: Miami’s 2026 commitment list
NORTH CAROLINA
Bill Belichick and company have seen the 2026 commitment list boom beyond a dozen with a lot of spring verbal commitments, but the depth of the staff has shown itself in how much talent is still yet to see Chapel Hill for an official visit in the month of June. As we’ve come to expect under this new staff, geography won’t be an issue when looking at potential Tar Heel targets.
Just this coming weekend the group will be comprised of natives of seven states, from former Alabama secondary commitment Jamarrion Gordon to two-sport star Adam Balogoun-Ali out of the Sunshine State, Midwest offensive lineman Mason Wilhelm and Colorado native Tripp Skewes.
As with the best in the league, North Carolina will look to change the minds of intriguing prospects on board with other programs. Auburn linebacker pledge and top-100 recruit Shadarius Toodle may be the most fascinating, though early official visitor and current blue-chip Ole Miss pledge Izayia Williams may be planning a return trip to Chapel Hill before summer’s end as well. Vanderbilt defensive line commitment Daryl Campbell is on the official visit schedule in June as is Georgia junior college pledge Seven Cloud. Prized quarterback Travis Burgess, who just popped for the program, will be back in mid-June along with top pass-catcher target and four-star Jayden Petit out of Southwest Florida. The No. 3 class in the ACC won’t be an easy spot to secure, but achieving that status is possible with the talent expected to soon experience Chapel Hill.
